Legislative Update

The following are summaries of governors' budget requests for
schools and highlights of proposals on the state education agendas.
Budget totals for K-12 education include money for state education
administration, but do not include federal flow-through
dollars.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Governor:
David M. Beasley (R)

FY 1999 proposed state budget: $5.67 billion

FY 1999 proposed K-12 budget: $2 billion

FY 1998 K-12 budget: $1.89 billion

Percent change K-12 budget: +5.8 percent

Estimated enrollment: 649,200

Highlights:

Governor's budget includes $15 million to implement
grade-by-grade standards in mathematics, science, English, and social
studies, as recommended by state commission on standards.

Also includes funds for all 10th graders to take practice exams
for SAT or ACT.

SOUTH DAKOTA

Governor: William J. Janklow (R)

FY 1999 proposed state budget: $731.26 million

FY 1999 proposed K-12 budget: $284.63 million

FY 1998 K-12 budget: $273.47 million

Percent change K-12 budget: +4.1 percent

Estimated enrollment: 134,209

Highlights:

Under governor's proposal, $2.3 million would be dedicated to
school technology.

State would provide at least $3,551 in per-pupil funding for
districts. Small districts--those with fewer than 600 students--would
receive 20 percent more than that in per-pupil foundation aid from
state. Seventy-two percent of South Dakota's districts meet state's
"small" definition.

Gov. Janklow also wants $9.5 million for children's health-care
package that would provide aid based on family's poverty status.

VERMONT

Governor: Howard Dean (D)

FY 1999 proposed state budget: $753.4 million

FY 1999 proposed K-12 budget: $658.26 million

FY 1998 K-12 budget: $231.96 million

Percent change K-12 budget: +183.8 percent

Estimated enrollment: 103,500

Highlights:

This is first year of Vermont's statewide property tax, which was
implemented under Act 60, school-finance-reform law passed last year.
Act 60 eliminated local property taxes, replacing them with statewide
tax aimed at distributing per-pupil funding equitably to all
districts. It boosted state's contribution to education
significantly.

Gov. Dean proposes spending an additional $280,000 for
student-level assessment program that will report individual scores
on state's assessments in early reading, English/language arts, math,
and science. Some money will go to develop new assessment in history
and social studies. The governor proposes spending nearly $1.9
million overall on assessments.